Car-coupling



(No Model.) v

E. R. BURDEN.

GAR COUPLING. No. 530,065. Patented Nov. 27, 1894.

UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD R. BURDEN, OF SIDNEY, OHIO.

CAR- COUPLING.

SFECI FICATION forming part of Letters IPatent No. 530,065, dated November 27, 1894.

Application filed August 16, 1894- Serlal No. 5201 N m l-l To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD R. BURDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sidney,in the county of Shelby and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to an improved automatic car-coupler of the class in which the draw-bar is provided with a pivoted hook and a recess for the reception of a similar pivoted hook carried by the draw-bar of the adjoining car.

The object of my invention is the production of a coupler of this class having improved means for simultaneously raising both hooks out of coupling engagement with the respective draw-bars, and which can be operated either from the top or side of a car; to pivot each hook in such manner that its pivot-pin will serve as the coupling-pin for the hook on the adjacent draw-bar; and to so construct and arrange the parts that cars of different heights may be readily and securely coupled automatically.

The invention will first be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, and then pointed out in the claim.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective view showing a car provided with my coupler. Fig. 2 is a broken longitudinal vertical sectional View of two draw-bars, showing the construction of my coupler and also the positions of the parts when cars of the same heightare coupled. Fig. 3 is a like view showing the positions of the parts when cars of different heights are coupled. Fig. 4is a perspective illustration of the manner in which the drawbars are coupled together. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional detail view through one of the draw-bars, taken on the line a: at, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, A and A represent the draw-bars, in each of which are formed two recesses B and O, the former bein g open on top nearly its whole length, while the top opening of the latter is much shorter. At the lower forward end of each recess is a solid abutment 1, for a purpose hereinafter mentioned.

D and D are two hooks, each having a long upwardly-inclined face 2 and a rearwardlyextending arm 3.

E and E are what I term the couplingpins, one being passed through and secured in the forward end of each draw-bar.

Hook D is pivoted on coupling-pin E in recess O in draw-bar A, and is adapted to pass into the recess B in the abutting draw-bar and engage with the coupling-pin E, the arm 3' of the hook extending rearwardly to near the end of the recess O in draw-bar A. Hook D is pivoted on coupling-pin E in recess 0 in draw-bar A, and is adapted to engage with coupling-pin E in recess B in draw-bar A, the arm 3 of said hook extending rearward to near the end of recess 0 in draw-bar A.

F is a dog pivoted in recess B in each drawbar in such manner that one of its ends will normally rest on the abutment 1 and underlie the nose 4 of the hook when a coupling is made.

G is the operating-rod, which passes through keepers 5 in the end of the car and extends upward a short distance above the top of the car, and is there pivotally connected with a lever g, fulcrumed in a suitable bracket 6 secured to the foot-board. Another lever g is also pivotally connected to rod G and extends in a lateral direction slightly beyond the side of the car, said lever being fulcrumed in a bracket 7 secured to the end of the car. The lower end of this operating-rod is bifurcated,

as seen in Figs. 1 and 5, one of its stems 8 passing through a slotted opening 10 in the draw-bar and bearing on the end of hook-arm 3 in recess 0, the other stem 9 passing through a like opening 11 in the draw-bar and bearing on one end of the dog F in recess B. As the hook-arm 3 describes a greater are of a circle in raising the hook from engagement with the coupling-pin than does dog F, stem 8 is necessarily made longer than stem 9, as seen in Fig. 5; and therefore in order that the shorter stem may at all times be kept in proper rela tion to the slotted opening 11, I form a wall 12 around the top of said opening, leaving an open space 13 in the Wall adjacent to the slotted opening 10, in order to permit that part of the rodv G that connects its stem to enter in the downward movement of said rod.

On the under side of the front end of, the

draw-bar is formed a lug H, having an elongated opening 15, in which is hung an ordinary linkI,for use with cars not provided with my coupler.

In Figs. 2 and 4 I have shown the draw-bars coupled in the same plane; but with my coupler cars that are of different heights may be readily coupled, the parts in that event assuming the relative positions shown in Fig. 3.

The operation of my coupler is very simple and requires but little description. As two cars provided with this coupler come together the hooks on the respective draw-bars come into contact with the coupling-pins, riding up over and falling into engagement with them. In uncoupling, all that is necessary is that the brakeman, standing at the side of a car or on top of it, depress the operating-rod G, when its stem 8 will depress the hook-arm 3 and thus release its hook from the couplingpin, and stem 9 will cause dog F to raise the nose of the other hook clear of the couplingpin, the dog being limited in its movement for this purpose by a pin 14 secured in the recess B.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-- In a car-coupler, two draw-bars, each hav in g two parallel recesses, open above and below, and an abutment at the lower forward end of each recess, a coupling -,pin passed through both recesses, a gravity dog pivoted in one of the recesses so that its forward end rests normally on the abutment, a hook pivoted on the coupling-pin in the other recess, said hook having an inclined face projecting above its upper edge and a rearwardly-ex tending arm, and a bifurcated rod bearing loosely on the rear end of the dog and on the arm of the hook, substantially as described and for the purposes stated.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD R. BURDEN.

Witnesses:

E. V. MOORE, GEO. C. KOHLER. 

